An Interesting Arrangement

Chapter Ten

Natasha looked up from where she was buckling on her tac belt. "Come on!" She called to the person knocking on her door. She glanced over and saw Steve standing there.

"Almost ready, Nat?" Steve asked, watching his wife grab a couple of pistols.

Natasha nodded slowly. "Yeah, I just hate leaving the kids. Are you sure we have to go?"

Steve chuckled and leaned against the door jamb. "Natasha, it's only going to be for two days, three at the most."

"Yeah, but we're leaving Loki and Bucky in charge and I just know that somethings going to happen..."

Steve smirked. "Coulson will be here."

Natasha stared at him in disbelief. "Like he's much better! He still has Loki color in his files!"

Steve smiled and walked over to Natasha, wrapping his arms around her. "Hey, now. Everything's going to be just fine."

Natasha shook her head. "I've still got a bad feeling about this."

Steve opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a blonde girl hurtling herself towards them. Steve caught her and smiled at his seven year old daughter. "Well what do you say, Steph? You think you'll be all right here with Uncle Loki and Uncle Bucky and Uncle Phil?"

Stephanie, who had her longish blonde hair tied back into a cute little ponytail, nodded eagerly. "Uh-huh! Uncle Loki promised to take us down to the pond and Uncle Phil brought more files to get colored!"

Natasha placed a hand on her daughter's back and smiled. "If you're sure..."

Stephanie nodded eagerly. "We'll be fine, Mommy!" And just to prove a point, Jace ran in and grabbed onto Steve's legs.

"Are you gonna save the world with Mommy, Daddy?" Jace asked, smiling up at his dad.

Steve smiled and, after passing Stephanie over to Natasha, and picked his son up. "Yes we are buddy! And we'll be back real soon, ok?"

Jace nodded eagerly. "Will you bring back one of Uncle Clint's used arrows?"

Natasha laughed. "Jace, what on earth would want one of those for?"

Jace grinned. "'Cause Uncle Clint always attaches trackers to his arrows so he can pick them up again. So iff'n we take one, he'll have to come visit us!"

Natasha laughed. "That he will, Jace."

Oki was the next to come in, attaching himself to Natasha's leg. "We're gonna miss you, Mommy." Oki said in flawless Russian.

Natasha smiled and ruffled his hair. "And what do you say to Daddy?" She asked him in English.

Oki turned to his dad. "I love you, Daddy." Oki said in perfect English.

Steve smiled and ruffled Oki's hair as well. "I love you too, Oke."

"Well as heartwarming as this is," Sam Wilson commented as he walked into the room. "We've really gotta go."

Stephanie smiled. "We love you, Uncle Sam!"

"Awww come here you!" Sam said, picking her up and walking out the door.

Jace turned to Steve. "Betcha Uncle Sam doesn't have his wallet anymore!"
                                   *
"Bye!" They all called as they watched the quinjet leave.

Loki turned to the kids and grinned, rubbing his hands together. "Ok, kids, who wants to go to town with Uncle Buck and Uncle Phil and I?"

Everyone raised their hands. "Ok then let's go get in the car!" Loki said, shooing the kids that way.

Phil raised an eyebrow at the God of Mischief. "Did Natasha give you permission to do that?"

Bucky snorted. "Would she ever?"

Loki rolled his eyes. "Look I've been stuck in the house for three months straight, ok? I'm bored!" He took off after the kids, leaving Phil and Bucky behind.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Bucky muttered.

"Because Loki's involved." Phil said dryly. "Come on, let's go."
                                     *
Three hours later found them walking out of the movie theater, Loki carrying Oki, Bucky holding Jace's hand and Stephanie riding piggyback on Phil.

"I liked that movie!" Jace said, toddling along until Bucky picked him up like a football.

Phil chuckled. "That was pretty good."

"Pretty good? That was amazing! Boss Baby is the best!" Stephanie exclaimed.

Loki chuckled. Oki suddenly sat bolt upright. "Go down that alleyway!" Oki said suddenly.

"What?" Bucky asked, frowning. But Loki had already turned down that way, so the others followed. And what they saw amazed them. Two small puppies sat in a pile of dirty blankets. One of them was obviously a golden retriever puppy, and it greeted them with adorable little barks. The other one, though, was the real shock. It appeared to be a chocolate lab puppy. But it only had three legs, as its left front one was missing.

Oki scrambled down from Loki's arms and picked up the golden retriever puppy. He stared up at his three uncles, and they all knew what was coming next.

"Can we keep them?" He begged. "Please?"

"Oki..." Bucky began.

"Please? They'll die out here if they're left alone and I'll take good care of them I promise!" Jace and Stephanie picked up the cry as well.

"Please, please, please, please, please?" They all begged, clasping their hands, quivering their lips, and widening their eyes, somehow making their eyes big and wet. And then, Bucky made the mistake of noticing the brown puppy and its missing limb. He absentmindedly rubbed his metal arm. Loki noted that and sighed. Phil had noticed as well and shook his head.

"Looks like we've got dogs now." Loki said as he picked up Oki and, consequently, the golden puppy.

Jace picked up the chocolate lab puppy and handed it to Bucky. "He's just like you." The boy whispered to the Soldier. Bucky smirked at him and picked the boy up as well and, with Phil and Stephanie picking up the rear, the all headed back to the car.
                                    *
After getting home and cleaning the puppies (which had the kids squealing with joy and a conversation between Bucky and Loki how best to deal with re-gelling their hair), they all sat down in the living room and, over dinner, discussed the most important part of their new dogs. The names.

"What about Sparkle and Cutsie?" Stephanie asked, knowing what the response would be.

"No!" Jace and Oki yelled, scaring the two puppies, who had just fallen asleep. The chocolate lab they had determined to be a boy while the golden retriever was a girl.

"How about Pansy and Dipsy if we're looking for dork names?" Jace said sarcastically. Stephanie huffed and crossed her arms.

"Pancake and Syrup." Bucky said matter of factly. He was holding the brown puppy, tickling its tummy.

The kids looked at each other and nodded. "Sounds good to me." They all said.

And so Pancake and Syrup they became.